Secure messaging uses intermediate servers, which are more difficult to block by authoritarian states.
While the Iranian government has tried to block WhatsApp several times to contain the protests, the messaging service WhatsApp adds, on January 5, an option to connect to the platform via an intermediate server between the user and the application.
Many Iranian Internet users use a VPN to circumvent online censorship. Countries that ban access to the app are effectively blocking access to WhatsApp’s servers. This new option will allow you to manually choose a server, called a proxy. The latter will have a different address from the WhatsApp servers, and will therefore be more difficult to block by the authorities.
“It is now possible to connect to WhatsApp through proxy servers set up by volunteers and organizations around the world who are dedicated to allowing everyone to communicate freely” assures WhatsApp in a press release.
Already available
“Connecting through a proxy server maintains the high level of privacy and security offered by WhatsApp.” Proxy connection will therefore have no impact on WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption.
The company says the option is available now to anyone using the latest version of its iOS or Android apps. To do this, go to the menu Storage and data in the settings.
